Fresh off dropping a deluxe version of The Price of Tea In China with Alchemist, which many (including me) who have it as one of the best albums of the year, Boldy James is back at the DopeHouse with the release of Manger on McNichols with fellow Detroit native, Sterling Toles.
Thirteen years in the making, the majority of the vocals on the project are from between 2007 and 2010–before Boldy got his foot in the game through his work with The Cool Kids (and his cousin, Chuck Inglish)–during a time when Toles’ production was “pretty much chopped samples and drums.”
Since the initial recording process, Toles has continuously reworked the project with a live jazz band as he paired Boldy’s early rhymes with a plethora of flutes, horns, choirs, synths, and everything in between. Oh, and there’s also an appearance from a young DeJ Loaf (who went by Deja at the time) on the song “Welcome to 76.”
Available on Bandcamp, where Toles’ offers a lengthy and detailed break down on the creative process, Manger on McNichols can be heard below.
